The Autobots Witwicky
by LittleMewLugia
Summary: When the Witwicky family are caught up in the effects of an earthquake, there is an unexpected side-effect.
1. Chapter 1

The Autobots Witwicky.

Summary: When the Witwicky family are caught up in the effects of an earthquake, there is an unexpected side-effect.

Rating: K+

Disclaimer: Transformers belongs to Hasbro and Dreamworks/Paramount. I own nothing except the bunny that inspired this.

Pairings: Sam/Mikaela, Judy/Ron

The Autobots Witwicky.

Prologue

August, 2011.

The first idea the Autobots had was that the ground beneath them shook, hard enough that they were all off-balance for a time. It was Bumblebee, who had been around Sam and his family long enough to hear and see things, who realised what it was.

"That was an earthquake-a _real_ one!" he said, recalling how Sam's parents had twice thought Autobot activity was earthquakes. Of course, all the Witwicky family knew the truth by now, they had needed to be told, in case the Decepticons ever paid the Witwicky house a visit, either as military vehicles or in bipedal form. Wheeljack came in as Bumblebee made his announcement.

"Bumblebee is correct. My inbuilt instruments would suggest that the earthquake was, in earth terms, seven point six on their Richter scale."

"They could be hurt." Bumblebee stated. "I must go and find them."

"Bumblebee, here, take my jet pack." Cliffjumper said, handing it over. Bumblebee took it gratefully. He was worried for the family. Although Sam and Mikaela were living at Sam's parent's place, which was a little cramped, the Autobots had been making a part of their base into a family apartment, which is where the recently-married Sam and Mikaela Witwicky would be housed once Mikaela had given birth to her twins.

Bumblebee strapped on the jet pack and hoped the humans in the city would be concentrating too hard on events on the ground to notice him flying through the air, particularly as it was not yet dawn. He took off, using cloud cover where he could, and soon came within sight of the Witwicky's house-and stared in horror.

Everywhere else in the town, other houses had big cracks in them, or were partially collapsed. The Witwicky house, and both houses either side, had entirely collapsed. An irreverent thought ran through Bumblebee's processors: Ron would be torqued because the yard wasn't just _ruined_, it no longer_ existed_. However, something didn't seem right to Bumblebee, and he ran a scan.

He couldn't find a trace of any metal of any form within a fifty-metre radius of the collapsed buildings, not even in the wreckage of the houses, no remains of cars, foundations, even electrical wires. No sign of Judy's Aga, no sign of Ron's Porsche, no sign of the cast-iron garden bench that could seat either five humans (the Witwickys and Miles had all sat on it once) or one Bumblebee-sized Autobot.

Neither was he able to detect any human remains in the ruins, although there were plenty of humans standing around staring at something behind some of the houses still standing. Humans crying out, exclaiming, some running away in fear, other just staring, or taking pictures on their cell phones, even though the light was poor. As Bumblebee cleared the standing houses, he changed his optics to night-vision, and got a good look at wheat the humans around were all staring at.

Four protoforms-two about Ironhide size, and two about his own - were clinging to each other-two mechs, one bigger than the other, and two incredibly pretty femmes, also of two different sizes. That was odd, Bumblebee didn't recall hearing any suggestions that any new Autobots or Decepticons were expected, and what were they doing _here?_ Why had they not scanned a vehicle? It was an instinct all protoforms felt compelled to obey.

One of the mechs –the smallest one - looked up, noticing he was there.

"Oh, _God,_ Bumblebee, thank God you're here, you've gotta help us, Bee, something weird has happened to me and my family."

Bumblebee started. The voice was different, the appearance was totally different, but the syntax pattern was unmistakeable.

"_Sam?"_ he asked.


	2. Chapter 2

The Autobots Witwicky

The Autobots Witwicky

Chapter One

Bumblebee knew an emergency when he saw one, and once he'd got over the shock, he sent a databurst of the situation as he understood it –'Witwicky family become Cybertronian, reason unknown, request Optimus and Ratchet pulling containers at Witwicky residence ASAP' – took some holos to show he wasn't over-energised or seeing things, and then carefully landed.

He sent a more conventional sort of call to his contacts at the nearby Army base, asking for immediate assistance, and went over to the huddled group of Cybertronians. He took a holo of the landscape nearby and projected it to help conceal himself and the protoforms – it was not ideal, but might keep people back long enough for the army to come out.

He approached them.

"Sam, _what happened_?" asked Bumblebee.

"There was an earthquake, part of the house fell on me. Mum, Dad and Mikaela ran to help me, and then……I don't know!" Sam said.

"He began glowing." Mikaela explained. "Then it expanded to cover us all. We must have blacked out, because when we woke up, we were like this. The house had collapsed, we had to dig ourselves out…and now we don't know what to make of it, or what to do. What do you think, Bumblebee, you're used to being like this. Have you ever heard of _anything_ like this?" she asked

"Only in ancient legend that cannot be confirmed." Bumblebee said. "It is said that Cybertron started out as a world with mechanical and organic life both existed. Unfortunately, they could not accept sharing and conflict broke out, and Primus is said to have offered some of the remaining intelligent organic life-forms the chance to become mechanical, so they could live on. Those that accepted, did. Those that did not, died." Bumblebee told her.

"But this is _reality_, not some quasi-religious mumbo-jumbo, and this is not Cybertron, but Earth." said Judy Witwicky, who was the larger femme. "How does this relate to _us_?"

"I have a theory." Bumblebee said. "Some of the power of the AllSpark may have fled into Sam in Mission City. When Sam got hurt, maybe it sought to help by altering him? Because you were all touching him, maybe it couldn't avoid changing you as well. All the metal in a certain radius of your car is gone. I would theorise that that metal was used to build those bodies you are now in, - and here comes help!" This last was Bumblebee noticing that the Army had turned up. Jeff Raven, the official Autobot Liaison Officer, plus Will Lennox and Technical Sergeant Epps, led a group of soldiers, who helped disperse the crowd and stop anyone else trying to get to the frightened huddle of once-human Autobots trying to hide behind the houses.

"I trust you've got help coming?" asked Epps. "We need to get back to assisting with the rescue of trapped civilians, and the transportation of them to relief centres as soon as we can."

"We've got Optimus and Ratchet coming with trailers to help take these back to the Autobot base." Bumblebee told him. A horn sounded, followed by sirens, and the Peterbilt truck and S&R vehicle, both towing containers, turned on to the road five minutes later, pulling up as close as they could.

Bumblebee held out both his hands. "Sam, Mikaela, trust me. I'll take you to Ratchet's container. Once you're back at the base, we can start trying to sort things out, okay?" he asked. Sam nodded, and both he and Mikaela, still in shock and not knowing what to do otherwise, took a hand each. Bumblebee pulled them sgainst him, so they coud lean on him for balance. He kept them talking, gently drawing them away from Ron and Judy – who clung to each other – and took them over to where Ratchet's two holoforms had opened the container. One by one, coaxed gently by Bumblebee, the two smaller protoforms got onto their hands and knees, and climbed inside. Ratchet carefully closed the doors, then managed – with much more coaxing and reassurance to get the two older Witwickys into Optimus' trailer in the same way.

"Bumblebee, you're likely to get back to Base before us, could you make sure there are four recharge chambers big enough to fit these four? Optimus and I can help them learn to scan and take alt-forms, part of their anxiety is the instinctive urge to take a disguise, that we can deal with, but they'll need to recharge after that." Ratchet told him.

"Okay Ratchet. Thanks!" Bumblebee said, as the two drove off back towards the Base. "Thanks to you as well," Bumblebee told Jeff Raven, will Lennox and Sergeant Julius Epps. "I'm going back to Base, I'd stay and help, but I don't think people are ready to see us yet."

"Thanks, Bumblebee, the offer is appreciated. We'd better get back to work." Will Lennox said.

Bumblebee nodded his understanding, activated Cliffjumper's jet pack, and headed back to Base.

Bumblebee returned the jet pack to Cliffjumper, who was manning the medical bay in Ratchet's absence, told him briefly what had happened, and they checked the recharge chambers. They found that the two largest were empty, and both had been designed to take one large mech, or two medium-to-small ones.

"They were clinging to each other when I found them." Bumblebee explained. "I think they should go into recharge in groups of two, at least to begin with. Otherwise, they might find the experience terrifying. I think Ratchet would agree that we want their first experiences of everything we do to be as pleasant as possible."

Bumblebee got a call from Ratchet.

"Bumblebee, Sam has asked if you can help him scan a form. Your parents and Mikaela have learned, and scanned a form from the car lot, but Sam specifically asked for your help."

"Coming, Ratchet." Bumblebee replied, and went outside to find them.

Ratchet, Optimus, and the Witwickys were standing together near the twenty-odd cars assembled in the Autobot base courtyard in case someone wanted, for whatever reason, to change their alt-form; as none of the Witwickys could balance properly yet, Optimus and Ratchet were helping them to stand, one either side. Ron had taken on the alt-mode of a Chevrolet Silverado, Judy had taken on, ironically enough, the form of a dark green Porsche not so dissimilar to Ron's old car, and Mikaela had taken a sleek car Bumblebee was not able to identify immediately. Sam was the only one still without an alt-form.

"Ratchet says a direct interface is needed to convey the information." Sam said. "It's not that I don't trust Ratchet, it's just that I think I'd be far more comfortable if _you_ could do it." Said Sam. Bumblebee nodded, and moved around behind Sam, pulling a data link cord from a panel in his wrist.

"Okay, Sam, I'm going to set up a direct connection to your dataports to transfer the information. It'll be easier if you try to relax. It'll feel a bit funny, but it won't hurt."

As the transfer cable clicked into Sam's dataport, Bumblebee felt Sam tense: Bumblebee put a reassuring hand on Sam's shoulder, and began transferring the information to Sam - how to scan, how to change design and colour of the mode chosen, how to transform from one to the other. As uncontrolled as Sam's mind was, something of his intention came back over the link to Bumblebee. Flattered and a bit embarrassed, he disconnected the data link, found some space, and folded down into his Camaro form. Sam turned to face him, and scanned him, and a moment later, two identical Camaros were standing, hood-to-hood, in the courtyard.

Then one changed, the paintwork changing from yellow to a royal blue. When the colour change was completed, the two unfolded, the blue Camaro and the yellow converting to bipedal form. Sam's bipedal form's head was different from Bumblebee's, after all, Sam had a mouth, not a speaker, and two small silver antennae at each side of his head, where the ears would have been had he still been a human.

"Come on, we'll help you to the medical bay. You still need to recharge." Ratchet said. He and Optimus helped the wobbly Witwickys into the Base.

Cliffjumper saw them coming, and stared at them – or more precisely, his optics darted between Mikaela and Judy.

"Cliffjumper, if you could get those recharge chambers open instead of seizing up at the sight of the Witwicky femmes, I'd appreciate it. I'm _sure_ they'd prefer _not_ to be gawped at!" Cliffjumper snapped out of his trance-like state and raised the recharge chamber lids.

"Oh, I guess I don't mind that much." Judy said kindly, raising a free hand to her cheek in a very human gesture. "It's been some time since a man – I take it he's male – has looked at me like that. I'm not exactly _young."_

"Yes, he's male, and by Cybertronian standards you're younger than you know, adult body or no." Ratchet said.

He got Ron and Judy into the recharge chamber, but had to calm and damp them down first. Sam and Mikaela were easier: they had seen Bumblebee going into recharge, and were happy to climb in. they were soon deep in recharge.

Ratchet watched them, and sighed. That had been the _easy_ bit. The Witwickys still had a lot to learn about being Cybertronian, but at least, Ratchet reflected, they had a Cybertronian lifetime in which to learn it.


	3. Chapter 3

The Autobots Witwicky

The Autobots Witwicky.

Chapter Two.

The Autobot Base, a week later.

"I still find it odd not to be wearing clothes, or brushing my hair when I awake." Mikaela told Sam as they walked down the corridor. She was all too aware of the admiring glance the mech Mirage gave her as they passed him. In human terms, he was giving her the eye, and had she still been human, she would have blushed.

"I know there's nothing to show really, but I feel _naked_!" she said, crossing one arm over her chest and putting her other hand to her crotch as if to hide something.

"I know, so do I, but I guess we'll have to get used to it. Do you know how difficult it is for me to not have a certain part of a normal male human's anatomy any more?" he asked.

"You've just changed size and species, and your greatest concern is that you no longer have a penis?" Mikaela said with a laugh. This time it was Sam who, if still human, would have blushed.

"Well, that sort of thing is_ important_ to a man." He told her.

"A_ human_ man, but you're not human anymore." She corrected. "I mean, as a female, I have my own issues. I am only one of two girls – I mean, femmes - in this entire base, and all the mechs tend to stare as I go by. I know they don't mean to, but all the same, it's rather unnerving. Not that your mother seems to mind – she's turned into a right flirt!" said Mikaela with a chuckle.

"Yes, I believe she's just found out that in Cybertronian terms, she's young again, and considered highly attractive. It's still embarrassing, though, I mean, there she is, my mother, flirting with _Ironhide_!"

"Somehow, I don't think Ironhide minds. He lets her, and seems to _enjoy_ it, much to your father's disgust." Mikaela said. Sam laughed a bit.

"Little does she realise _how_ young she is by Cybertronian standards." Sam said. "As far as _he's_ concerned, adult body or not, she's still, age-wise, a baby – or a 'sparkling', as they put it." Sam said. "That means he's happy to look, but probably wouldn't touch."

"Sam, your mother is forty six." Mikaela said. "If your mother is still a sparkling, what does that make _me_?"

Sam grinned. "Barely out of the AllSpark?" he guessed. She went to mock-hit him. "Hey, don't forget, that applies to _me_, too, after all I'm a few months younger than you." Sam reminded her.

"I wonder what it is that Optimus wants to talk to us about?" Mikaela said, changing the subject. Sam shrugged his blue shoulders.

"As long as he's not going to do a Prowl on us and read us the _entire_ base rules and regs." said Sam with a mock-shudder. "Actually, it's probably an orientation talk for us newbies."

By this time they had reached their objective-Optimus Prime's office. They knocked on the door and went in when invited to do so. Ron and Judy were there too, which reinforced in Sam's mind his opinion that this would be a new-arrival orientation talk.

Optimus was stood behind his desk, and inclined his head forwards to look at Sam and Mikaela. It seemed odd, Sam reflected, that this was now all the action required by Optimus to look and speak to himself and Mikaela, when just over a week ago, the Autobot leader would have needed to get on his hands and knees to speak to them unless they were in a building at a window two floors up. He had always seemed almost impossibly_ big_ before, and it was odd for them to now be just over half his height.

Sam also noticed that Optimus looked somewhat uncomfortable, as he got the four assembled 'bots mugs of energon from the dispenser on the wall.

"I need to speak to you all about certain aspects of Cybertronian culture, aspects that I have found humans to be uncomfortable about discussing, particularly in public. However, if I do not explain some things here and now, at some point, somebody else will make a reference to it, which could lead to some unfortunate misunderstandings." He paused.

"First, let me make it clear that nothing I say should make you feel obliged, nor must you take something I say as a suggestion, unless I specifically state otherwise: this is mainly an explanation. Your freedom is very important to us, including freedom of choice, so please keep this in mind." He paused again, as if taking a deep breath, and then spoke again.

"What I need to explain to you is the Cybertronian attitude to what you humans would call 'sex.'"

Sam, Mikaela, Ron, and Judy all looked at each other in embarrassment.

"Hey, I'm forty-nine, Optimus, a bit old for The Talk, I think." Ron said.

"Dad, Cybertronians live so long that forty-nine years to an Autobot is like forty-nine _minutes_ to us." Sam explained. "Too old you are _not_. We know squat about being Cybertronian, so I, at least, am interested in what Optimus has to tell us."

Ron nodded in understanding, and turned to look expectantly back at Optimus.

"The first thing you should realise is that our equivalent of penetrative sex – a merging of the energy of our Sparks – has always carried a different meaning and function than reproduction. We had the AllSpark for that, so Sparkmerge has always been a sign of affection and in some cases, loyalty. There is also no stigma attached to having multiple partners, or multiple participants in a single session, nor is gender a bar to participating. I myself have had several partners in my lifetime, many simultaneously, and most have been mechs."

"So, what you are saying is that having more than one partner, having an orgy, and gay sex is seen as perfectly normal and accepted behaviour in your culture?" Sam asked.

"I believe that is how humans might describe it, yes." Optimus said. Judy didn't speak, but Ron sputtered a bit as Mikaela just stared. Optimus continued to speak.

"So Sam, Ron, if you are approached by any of the mechs on the Base, please do not take it as an insult." Optimus suggested. "Mech-on-mech Sparkmerge is as normal and accepted as heterosexual penetrative sex is amongst humans."

"You mean we've got to accept any 'bot who gets the hots for us because it's normal for you kind?" Ron asked angrily. "And where do Judy and Mikaela stand in all this?"

Optimus shuttered his optics and shook his head slowly, raising a hand.

"No, you are within your rights to refuse if so approached, Ron, Sam, and nobody would be offended. As for Judy and Mikaela, they, too, may get approached, and would have the same right to refuse."

"Hang on, she's my _wife_!" Ron said. "_I'm_ her partner!"

"The Cybertronian version of marriage, unlike the human one, is not mutually exclusive, Ron." Optimus said. "A Sparkmate does not have to restrict his or her affections to just their Sparkmate, but the Sparkmate label is just a sign that your affections for that one person are deeper than for another. You would have to explain that you are holding by your Earth-human custom of monogamy." He said.

"Actually, it'd be flattering if I was asked out, but I don't think I'd accept." Judy said.

"I would prefer not to move on to the next segment of this talk, but I must, because I know the situation will be mentioned to you two femmes, by _somebody_, and you must feel in no way under any pressure about it." Optimus said, his eyes moving from Mikaela to Judy and back to Mikaela again.

"As I stated earlier, our primary method of reproduction was via the AllSpark." He said. "Cybertronians can reproduce via a mech-femme Sparkmerge, as femme Sparks are strong enough to use the energy to create an extra Spark from the energies created, but it was seen as sacrilegious to do so. However, now that the AllSpark is gone, it is the only way that the Cybertronian race can continue."

Mikaela's hands flew up to her chest, settling over the place where her own Spark resided, as her optics widened in alarm. Judy, too, looked worried.

"Does that mean – you expect us – we have to...?" Mikaela said, as Judy said "Do you mean you intend to pass us around the entire Base to bear children for you? Think again, buster!" Optimus again held up a hand and shook his head vigorously.

"No, Judy and Mikaela, _no_!" he said loudly. His raised voice got through to them: they shut up and looked up at him.

"_Neither _of you will be expected to do anything of the sort." He stated emphatically. "I told you earlier, your freedom is very important to us, and you must not feel pressured or obliged, but I thought it best to mention the situation to you here and now, rather than someone remarking on it in your hearing."

"But – if it's that or extinction, how long before some of you decide that we can't be allowed that freedom, for the sake of your race?" asked Judy.

"I would rather the race go extinct than allow that freedom to be taken from you, and although I believe my men understand and believe the same thing, I will make it known that your freedom comes first. However, I do not believe it will come to that, for several reasons." He stated.

"Firstly, you are both established couples: I cannot believe that none of you will want to raise offspring."

Sam smiled. "Mikaela and I have got started already: Ratchet said that Mikaela's twins are still there, but as little Sparks."

"Hey, Ron, you know what that means!" says Judy. "Unless Ratchet has reason to believe differently, that doctor who advised me not to have any more children after Sam can stick it up his arse, and we can give Sam that brother or sister we always wanted to – maybe more than one!" Her optics were shining as she turned to Optimus.

"I almost died having Sam, and was advised not to try for any more, but this means I can, I hope. I doubt narrow hips and uterine prolapse are a concern to robots."

"I doubt that it is, but you should ask Ratchet, just to be certain." Optimus stated.

"So, apart from us having children, what other reasons do you have to not be worried about choosing between our freedom and your extinction?" Mikaela asked, giggling a bit as she finished. Sam frowned: her humour seemed a little inappropriate to the question she was asking.

"We are a very long-lived race, and I have personally known several very capable Autobot femmes, and I have high hopes that at least one or two of them will also make it to Earth." Optimus said. "It may take years, decades, centuries, or even millennia, but the hope of their arrival is there. In the meantime, it may be that your offspring, if any are femmes, will choose one or more partners to have Sparklings with – and it will be up to them to do so or otherwise: we would no more pressurise or force them than we would pressurise you." He stated.

"Okay." Mikaela said with another giggle, pressing her hand to her chest. Optimus noticed the action.

"Mikaela, why are you giggling? Are you feeling okay?"

She looked up, surprised.

"It tickles." She said. "It has been tickling for a few minutes now but it's just intensified." She looked worried. "Is it wrong?"

"I do not know. I think you should go to the medbay to get it checked out. Come on, let's go." Optimus said.

A few minutes later, the giggling Mikaela was standing in front of Ratchet, who scanned her for a few minutes. He finished scanning, putting a hand on Mikaela's arm and gently steering her towards a worktable.

"Do not be concerned, Mikaela, nothing is wrong. I am calling Cliffjumper and Mirage down to assist. I think you should lie down, Mikaela." Ratchet told her.

"Why? What's happening? I feel fine, my Spark tickles, that's all." She said, giggling and pressing on to the centre of her chest again.

"Yes, that's not a problem. It's not something widely known because such events were rare on Cybertron. However, a ticklish Spark in a carrier is generally indicative of one thing."

"What's that?" asked Mikaela.

"It means the Sparklings are ready to come out." Said Ratchet.


	4. Chapter 4

The Autobots Witwicky

The Autobots Witwicky.

Chapter Three.

Ratchet led Mikaela to his work surface and helped her on to it. She looked at Ratchet with fear-filled optics.

"Will it hurt?" she asked, as Ratchet gently pushed her until she was lying flat on her back. Ratchet shook his head.

"We do not have much information on femme-births, but the little we do have suggests that if it is painful, then something is wrong. It should not hurt, Mikaela, although if you can relax, it will be, by all accounts, an enjoyable experience."

He nodded as a small red mech came in.

"Cliffjumper is a craftsmech, and one of his skills in that area is in smoothing imperfections in hide. As such, he would be a help in relaxing you. One tried and tested method in femme-birthing has been to relax the femme by firm and even stroking of her limbs. Will you allow Sam to stroke your legs, and Cliffjumper and Judy to stroke an arm each, and me to stroke your head? It will relax you, which should reduce the birth-trauma to your offspring."

"Okay." Mikaela said uncertainly. She wasn't really sure if she was happy with it, but was willing to give it a try.

Cliffjumper put one of his hands under her elbow, and then drew his other down from her shoulder and down the arm and over the hand in a firm but gentle stroke that Mikaela did indeed find pleasurable. Cliffjumper looked up at Judy, all professional as he instructed her: "Do what I'm doing, Judy, and Sam, put both hands on her legs and move them down in a sweeping movement with a firm and even pressure."

Sam nodded, moving to do as Cliffjumper said. As the tentative strokes of Sam and Judy became more confident, and Ratchet smoothed over her moulded head with professional competence, Mikaela did indeed feel herself relaxing. Her optics began to shutter and she felt utterly blissful, despite the tickling in her chest becoming increasingly persistent.

It was when she felt her chest plates beginning to spread and an inner mechanism release that she jerked in alarm. Ratchet spoke, without missing a beat as he massaged her head plating.

"It's okay, Mikaela, your chest is supposed to open like that, the little ones must have a way of getting out." Ratchet said. "Relax. I have a Spark-holding device here, the Sparkling will be in it, held in a force-field long enough to transfer into its new body. Luckily, Cliffjumper has been making Sparkling bodies, both to keep his skills sharp, and in hope, so we have some ready. I have to stop stroking now, they are ready to come out."

She lay back, and wasn't alarmed as she felt Ratchet lower a device by her chest. There was a slight _pzzit_ noise and she head the same noise repeat a little further back. The instrument hovered over her chest again, and the same noise repeated, and then once again was repeated a bit further away. Then she felt Ratchet pushing gently down on her chest plating, pushing the hinged inner plates closed again, and then sliding the outer plates back together. The stroking slowed and stopped, and Mikaela unshuttered her optics as Ratchet put one hand under her head and another under her shoulders and helped her to sit up.

"You have a pair of lovely little femmes." He told her, and Sam and Judy moved forwards, both holding something in their arms. Mikaela leaned forwards eagerly to look – and then recoiled.

They had tiny blue round optics, and a round orifice that she took to be a mouth, but the heads were squat and rounded, as were the bodies. Short appendages that she supposed were meant to be arms and legs had a pair of blunt gripping pincers on the end of each for gripping with. They didn't even look very human, let alone female.

"No, get them away from me." she said weakly, her processors whirring and her optics blinking in distress.

"Mikaela, you should hold our babies." Sam said in concern. "They need their mother."

"No, take them away, take them _away!_" she cried, turning her face away.

"Those _things_ are not my babies!"

Sam's optics shuttered several times rapidly in confusion and distress.

"Mikaela!" he said in shock. She didn't respond, keeping her optics shuttered and her face averted. Sam looked at Ratchet in confusion.

"It may be the shock, Sam." Ratchet said. "As we had a different method of having offspring, one which meant every child was a wanted child, rejection was an unknown condition to us. However, my research on the Internet suggests that even human women who birth perfectly healthy, human babies can and do reject their offspring. Let me talk with Mikaela, but I'll prepare some fuel for these small ones first." Ratchet said, waving Cliffjumper, Optimus, and Ron over. "Please sit with Mikaela, you three, I'll be back in a moment."

Ratchet took Sam and Judy, who were cradling the Sparklings, to a different area of the medical bay, where he reached for a medium barrel of a pale glowing liquid. He showed Sam and Judy how to locate the lower-body fuel valves for the Sparklings, and poured a small amount of the fluid in. From back where Mikaela was lying, they could hear the three mechs speaking to her, Optimus' bass rumble, and Ron and Cliffjumper's baritone intonations. After a moment, they heard Mikaela's higher-pitched response. They could not hear what was said, but Ratchet tipped his head forward in a nod of relief: at least Mikaela was now responding to them.

"This is low-grade energon, a formula suitable for infant Cybertronians. I had some prepared in the same way Cliffjumper had some bodies prepared, in hope, although its other use is for very badly-injured adult Cybertronians." Ratchet explained. The Sparklings clicked and whirred in a manner Ratchet recognised as contented, although he could also tell that they were also a little unsettled: they were so used to being next to Mikaela's own Spark that the absence of its warmth or even the sound of its unique beat was making them tense.

They took them back through, to find Ron and Optimus speaking to her, trying to encourage her to accept the Sparklings.

"They don't _look_ right, they look horrible, _alien_." Mikaela was saying, her optics still shuttered. "When I was pregnant as a human, I so looked forwards to holding their soft little baby-forms, feeling their warmth, and smelling their soft baby-smell and stroking their soft little heads, watching them sleep, and to see what they are _now_ – I'm sorry, I cannot accept things that look like _that_!"

"Mikaela." Ratchet said. "I'm not going to ask you to look at them or even hold them, but there is one thing I _would_ like to ask of you: would you allow me to take your hand and put it on one of them? If you don't like it, you can pull away, but please, would you just try touching one of them, just for a second or two?"

Mikaela didn't answer, but did move one hand out towards Ratchet. Carefully he took one Sparkling from Sam, and gently took Mikaela's wrist between his thumb and first two fingers: she flinched but did not pull away. Ratchet guided her hand down onto the chest of the Sparkling he was now cradling, laying Mikaela's palm flat over the location of the infant's Spark.

Mikaela immediately pulled her hand back by several inches: Ratchet did not stop her, but kept perfectly still. However, Mikaela did not pull away immediately, letting her hand hover in the air. Then she slowly lowered it again, placing her hand atop the small Cybertronian's chest again, and this time she did not pull away.

"Feel her Spark, Mikaela. Can you feel the warmth of the life you brought into the world today? Do you want to feel the other one?" he asked.

"Yes." whispered Mikaela, keeping her optics shuttered. "Yes, please." As she reached out her other hand, Judy moved forwards holding the other Sparkling, and guided Mikaela's hand to its chest.

Mikaela let out a noise that sounded very like a sigh and just lay there, one hand on each Sparkling's chest for about five minutes. Then she slowly took her hands away.

"They feel wonderful, but it's the _look_ of them, I don't think I can cope with the l_ook_ of them." Mikaela said.

"I'm sorry, when I made them, I made the most basic Sparkling bodies." Cliffjumper told her. "They're the easiest for the Sparkling to utilise, the basic abilities and senses, it helps them adapt and learn quicker. However, Mikaela, I can change their appearance, make them look more like human infants in shape and form, if you like. I'm more used to making such features as lips, brow-ridges, hair, and fingers on half-sized child bodies, but I do like a challenge. I'm willing to scale down and make more human-shaped Sparkling bodies if it will help. They can have moulded hair, proper hands, longer limbs and functional feet, if that is what you want. I can give them more human-shaped optic sockets, even craft small ear-shapes around their audio processors if you want. The bodies they are presently in are very, very basic, but I would welcome a chance to practice my finer crafting skills. I can do some designs, and give you some input into their appearance, if you like."

Mikaela looked up.

"You could? They don't have to stay looking so alien, so – so half-formed?" she asked. "Please, Cliffjumper, I would like that." Mikaela said, looking hopeful.

"First, you should recharge." Ratchet told her, helping her up, as she unshuttered her optics. He led her to a recharge berth, and helped her in.

"Would you allow the Sparklings to recharge with you? They do need it." Ratchet said.

Mikaela shuddered, but said "Okay." She lay on her back and shuttered her optics again, moving her hands a little away from her body, and Judy and Ratchet placed the Sparklings, heads on her upper arms, either side of her. Ratchet pushed the recharge chamber's lid shut and set the dial for six hours. As the recharge cycle started up, Mikaela's tense body relaxed, and the Sparklings shifted to more comfortable positions, wriggling closer to her. Her arms reflexively pulled them a little closer, then relaxed.

Cliffjumper broke the silence.

"I'll start working on the body designs for her to look at. The sooner I can start crafting them, the better." he said, moving off. "I hope it's enough."

"So do I muttered Ratchet, and Sam, Ron, Judy and Optimus all nodded in agreement.


	5. Chapter 5

The Autobots Witwicky

Chapter Four.

A/N: Thanks to KD Zeal for the data transfer idea, and the Nerdene Hyrde for the term 'pleasue bot'.

When Mikaela awoke, the sparklings were no longer beside her. At first she felt panicked, but then realised that Judy and Sam, who were standing by her recharge berth, were holding them. They seemed sleepy and content, so she surmised they had at some point been removed and fed while she was in recharge.

Cliffjumper moved over, with some big sheets of paper he had found somewhere, and showed her some designs. Sam moved over, and between them they chose faces and a body form for the sparklings.

Once they had chosen and agreed, Cliffjumper disappeared down the corridor, chosen designs in hand.

Mikaela looked at the sparklings again, and repressing a shudder, held out her arms. Judy lowered one of the sparklings into it, and although her embrace was at first tentative and uncertain, she was, after a relatively short time, able to cuddle the little one more closely. The sparkling responded by shifting against her and clicking: the first did nothing to endear them to her but the clicking did. Her lips shifted into a gentle smile as she held it but kept her gaze averted. Ratchet approached and helped her feed it, showing her where the fuel input valve was.

She took the second one with less trepidation, and held it close as Sam fed it for her. It clicked contentedly, making Mikaela smile a little more.

"If I ignore the way they look, I guess they're actually kinda sweet." Mikaela said.

"Any thoughts yet on names?" asked Ratchet.

"Sam and I did discuss names, and we'd thought of Amanda and Michelle if they were both female, but I'm wondering if we shouldn't give them Cybertronian middle names, considering that they are Cybertronian." Mikaela said. Sam nodded.

"Yeah, I kinda like that idea." Sam said. "Ratchet, can you give us some examples?"

A half-hour later, Ratchet had reeled off every femme name he's heard of. Some of them sounded a bit like human female names, with an 'a' on the end – Chromia and Elita, for example. Others were less obvious – Moonracer, Roulette, Arcee. Sam and Mikaela discussed viable possibilities for a while, then came up with two names. One would be called Moonfire, and the other was called Starshine. Ratchet had tried to help by throwing in the name Moonshine, but had looked puzzled when Sam had curled over in laughter, and Mikaela had said firmly "Definitely _not_!" In the end, Sam had explained that 'moonshine' was an American slang term for illegal home brew, and apologised, but agreed with Mikaela that it was not an appropriate name for their daughter, hilarious thought the idea of a child called that was.

Then Cliffjumper came back, carrying a beautifully crafted head for one of the new bodies. The face was silver, and it appeared that Cliffjumper had given some thought to the appearance of the head as well as the face, although Sam and Mikaela had not, for he had also crafted a fair imitation of a cap of hair in a copper-gold metal. Mikaela was absolutely delighted with it.

"Oh it's wonderful!" she told him, kissing him once on the cheek. Of course he could not blush, but judging by his body language, if he could have, his cheeks would have been as red as the rest of him.

"Aw – thanks, just you and Sam had hair, and it's common to craft femme bodies with hair, so I just thought……and it's the closest in colour I could get to the hair you and Sam used to have." He finished awkwardly. "I figured I'd check with you before I did the same with the other head, just in case you didn't like it."

"Oh it's great!" she enthused. "Thank you, Cliffjumper!"

"Due to the detail required, they'll be a little larger than they are now, and they will need help in learning to walk." Cliffjumper said.

"That's not a problem." Mikaela said. "I would have had to do that if we were still human. It'll just be like rushing forward to the toddler stage, I guess, so I guess I'll miss their babyhood, but I suppose I'll have to cope." She said.

"A least there are no smelly diapers to change." Sam said. "I was dreading that bit."

"Typical man!" Mikaela laughed, slapping him playfully.

Cliffjumper watched in bemusement for a moment, then took back the head and headed back to his workshop. As Cliffjumper left, Ironhide came in, immediately crossing over to look at the sparklings.

"Can I hold one?" he asked, looking first at Mikaela, and then at Judy.

"Yeah, Ok." Mikaela said. Ironhide stretched out his big arms, and Judy placed the sleepy sparkling she was holding in his hands. Ironhide carefully transferred his grip to cradle the sparkling in the crook of one arm, stroking it with the fingers of his other hand: the sparkling clicked rapidly, happily. Judy watched him with a smile on her face. Ironhide stroked the sparkling some more, and then handed it back to Judy. He watched as she carefully settled it back in the crook of her arm.

"It suits you." He said. "You'd be a natural mother. If you ever want sparklings of your own, I'll be happy to contribute by playing my part, I love sparklings, and you're a beautiful femme." He lowered one hand to lightly lay gentle fingers along the curve of her shoulder

Judy giggled as Sam stared in horror at Ironhide.

"Excuse me, did you just make a blatant pass at my _mother?_" Sam asked Ironhide.

"Oh Sam, let him alone, I'm flattered." said Judy.

"_Mom!"_ Sam said. "What would Dad say, you're meant to be his wife and you're talking about _cheating_ on him?"

"I am _not._" She said. "I said I was _flattered,_ not that I'd _accept!"_

"Hey, Sam, Judy, don't you remember what the birth of these guys interrupted, and what Optimus said?" Mikaela said. "We were warned, Judy, remember?"

"Why, so we were." She said. She turned to Ironhide.

"Thank you, but no thank you. When I married Ron, I was a human, American, Christian. That means I vowed to stay with the same man until I died. I'm afraid those values stayed with me through my transition."

Ironhide nodded.

"Okay. The offer's still open if you change your mind, though." he said. He went out, but Sam fancied the big weapons specialist looked disappointed.

Ratchet, who had been watching, came over.

"Maybe some data transfer about Cybertronian culture would be useful." He said. "I'll call Bumblebee to transfer information to you, Sam, I think Ron should receive the information from Optimus, Mikaela, I would suggest Cliffjumper for you, he's about the same age, and with your permission, Mrs Witwicky, I'll transfer the information to you."

"But then everyone will get different versions." Bumblebee said.

"Doing it one at a time, Bumblebee, will be somewhat time consuming and tedious, also your equivalent ages might need equivalent experiences."

"Ratchet, they all got changed at the same time, technically they are ALL very young, but no, I have an idea. How about we all interlink, and all share our knowledge, that way everyone gets the same information, but from all of us?"

"That could work, Bumblebee, but there is a risk of associated-memory transfer, that is, memories associated with the subject matter may leak over. I have no memories to hide, Bumblebee, and I doubt you have, or Optimus or Cliffjumper, though I'll check." He paused, then said "Yes, Cliffjumper and Optimus say they have no memories they'd have a problem with anyone else seeing."

Um..okay." said Sam. He wasn't really sure, but he trusted Bumblebee and the other Autobots as well. At that point, Optimus, Cliffjumper, and Ron came in, having been called in by Ratchet. Ratchet arranged them so that they were arranged in an alternate circle, each former human with an original Cybertronian either side. Those either side each plugged a wrist-mounted data cable into one of their data ports, forming a circle so the data would flow around it to everyone.

They began, and the four former humans found information about Cybertronian custom, language, reproduction (much of it AllSpark-related) and intimate physical contact. They learned that in general, femme Sparks were more intense than mech Sparks, and that there were varying levels of intimate contact. They discovered that the intimate contact could be used to express comfort, friendship, love, trust, and security.

They discovered that Cybertronians were not monogamous, that there was no stigma to being bonded – a condition like but unlike marriage – to more than one person, and no stigma to having many partners. They found out that a Cybertronian could be bonded to one, as a commitment to return to that person, but have intimate, casual contact with others. For there was no disease or stigma connected to having more than one partner, and never had been. They found that it was commonplace to take a newly-adult Cybertronian to either a paid professional or a trusted, experienced friend to be taught how to interface properly, to ensure that their first time was enjoyable, and that to be a pleasure bot – the Cybertronian equivalent of prostitutes – was as respectable a profession to have as to be a medic or soldier.

Then feelings and memories did start seeping in….what it felt like to be chest to chest, sparks close….the joy of intentionally shared memories…what it was like to feel the warmth of an exposed Spark on the plating…..the warm fuzzy feeling a successful interface could bring….the dizzying recovery after a full overload….fingers running down grillework and edges….looking up and meeting the steady gaze of gentle blue optics, the concern and care in them obvious…..and throughout all of it, the knowledge that none of it had been forced, both participants had been open and willing to engage in the activities.

There was a click as the four original Cybertronians disengaged their data leads from the four Witwickys. Sam, Mikaela, Ron and Judy looked at each other, dizzied by what they had learned – and what they had gained from the leaked memories.

"Well, think about what you've learned, reflect on it, and just be aware that you may well be approached because intimate contact does not have the same meaning as in human society." Optimus said.

"Mikaela, that was kind of interesting. Even friendship has an intimate component." Sam said. She noticed the direction that his optics were glancing in. She too had gained the same understanding, and gave a little laugh.

"I'm going to rest, but go ahead, Sam, I don't mind."

She smiled.

"Go and learn, if you want to, what it is to be friendly, Cybertronian style, with Bumblebee."


	6. Chapter 6

-1

The Autobots Witwicky

Chapter Five.

Four Weeks Later.

Mikaela held one of her Sparking's claws with one hand as Ratchet carefully offlined it. Then she repeated the process with her second offspring. Ratchet handed one of them over to Judy to hold as Sam and Mikaela both moved to the new Sparkling body that Cliffjumper had finally completed. Taking one of the delicately-crafted hands each, they watched anxiously as Ratchet first transferred the memory chips to the new body, then used a device to transfer the Spark from one body to the other. Then he brought the new body online.

The Sparkling whirred in distress at first, then the hands clenched onto those holding its own. Little blue optics unshuttered and focused, and the whirring subsided into slightly-uncertain clicks as it recognised its parents. Mikaela happily picked it up in one arm, running her free hand over the carefully-crafted face and hair, down the ingeniously constructed limbs and delicate but accurate digits. Once the sparkling was calmed, Mikaela swapped the tiny femme with the inert sibling that Judy held, and the transfer process was repeated.

Cliffjumper was quick to remove the old bodies while Mikaela and Sam were cooing over their sparklings' new bodies. Ron and Judy smiled at each other, remembering their own reactions when Sam had entered the world, screaming heartily to protest being evicted from Judy's warm comfortable womb into the cold and alien world he would be living in from then on.

At that point, Ironhide walked in, his optics zeroing in on the sparklings. He crossed over, holding his hands out questioningly, and a smiling Mikaela handed one sparkling to the big Weapons Specialist, who shifted it delicately to one of his big arms. It clicked and cooed in contentment, snuggling up against the big mech's chest.

"Why, Mr Ironhide, you have a way with children, it seems." Judy said, wandering over and placing one of her slim silver hands on his other arm. Ironhide's optics shifted from the little femme sparkling to the hand on his arm. His derma crooked at the corners in a rarely-seen smile.

"I like sparklings. I've raised them before." He cocked his head at her. "I would like to again."

Judy giggled, and Ron gritted his teeth, and looked about to walk over to Ironhide and say something. Sam decided it was time to intervene before things possibly got nasty.

**Dad, cool it! Remember, in Cybertronian society there's nothing impolite about flirting, and you _know_ Mom won't run off with him instead of you!** He commed.

"You've raised sparklings before?" asked Judy, and Ron indeed saw that Judy was not encouraging the black mech in his flirting. "You've been married? Who's the lucky femme then?" she asked.

"He was a mech. He died." Ironhide said, his optics dimming.

"Oh I'm so sorry." Judy said, adjusting her hand from resting on his arm to gripping it, and drawing Ironhide towards the medbay energon dispenser. "Do you want to talk to me about it over a cube of energon?"

Ron and Sam exchanged amused smiles. Before their conversion, Judy's cure-all had been a "talk over a coffee" – in her case, usually a skinny latte. Since then, the cure-all had turned into a "talk over a cube of energon" – the low-grade that Ratchet brewed that was available in dispensers all over the Base. Several of the mechs had availed themselves of her talks, as much as to get some sort of femme contact as for any other reason. Both Mikaela and Judy were still very popular around the Base.

Cliffjumper had re-remerged by now, minus the old sparkling bodies. He got two cubes of energon after Judy and Ironhide had vacated the dispenser, took one over to Mikaela, and handed the other to Sam. He went back long enough back to get himself another, and he sat down with them, marginally closer to Mikaela than Sam. Sam hid a smile…it seemed that Cliffjumper had settled on trying to get Mikaela's attention seeing as Judy was bring monopolised by Ironhide. Ron had gone over to sit with Judy and Ironhide, and he could hear the odd sympathetic murmur every now and again in response to Ironhide's sad – sounding bass rumble.

"So, Mikaela, are the bodies ok?" Cliffjumper asked nonchalantly. Mikaela smiled.

"They're beautiful!" She beamed as she twisted to face him, then stopped abruptly, bringing her hand up to her back with a wince. Cliffjumper noticed immediately.

"Are you okay?" he asked. She nodded.

"It's just a twinge, I've had worse, but I didn't think a metal body would suffer something as organic-seeming as back pain!" she complained. Cliffjumper stood, offering her his hands in support.

"You'd be surprised what abrading plates and kinked wires can do. Let me check you over, I'll give you a rub and we'll see if I can locate the trouble." As Cliffjumper led her over to an empty workbench, Sam watched with interest. Bumblebee had mentioned the 'Famous Cliffjumper Massages', they were meant to be a specialty of the former craftsmech and a rare treat, and it looked as if Mikaela might be about to be the recipient of one.

Cliffjumper's gentle skilled hands manipulated Mikaela's back and waist plating, checking for areas where they might be catching or rubbing, but he didn't seem to find any.

"Hmm, your plating joints seem Ok, can I go under and check your wiring?" Mikaela nodded, resting her head back down on her arms as Cliffjumper swiftly unsnapped plating clips enough to allow his hands to slip under and begin feeling up the cables and wiring of her underplating.

Whatever he was doing under there must have felt good, because Mikaela soon started gently sighing and blowing air through her vents with a noise that Sam interpreted as a hum of contentment. The Twins walked in mid-way through and stood watching, with obvious enjoyment until Ratchet spotted them and beckoned them over with a hard stare. Cliffjumper's hand reached out as he exhaled air quickly.

"This wire's got pinched." A quick movement from the hand left Mikaela sighing with relief.

"That should sort it for you." he said, snapping her plating back where it belonged and helping her to a seated position.

"Thank you." she said as she twisted experimentally, tentatively at first, then with more assurance as the pain did not resume.

At that point, Ironhide, with Judy and Ron still in tow, stepped over.

"Yer should come with me." the big mech said with his usual rough tone. "Yer gonna need weapons installed, then rescan yer alternative, or 'alt. modes' to configure the new weaponry into it. Foller me." Pausing only to let Sam hand Cliffjumper the sparkling he was holding, they did as asked.

They followed him down the corridor to the door they all knew led to his armoury, and he took them all in. Handing the sparkling he was still cradling (who had slid into recharge) back to Mikaela, he went through the various weapons available, explaining the purpose and some basic operational details, before advising who should have what and why. He approved of Sam's decision to mimic Bumblebee's weapons array.

"It works fer him, yer alts are the same, it should work fer you. Good choice!" he told Sam.

Mikaela went for an arm-mounted cannon and another secondary cannon on the opposite shoulder, as well as choosing wrist-blades despite Ironhide's protests.

"Mikaela, if yer get close enough to use those, with yer light armouring, yer _too _close!" he cautioned.

"I have no intention of _planning_ to get that close, Ironhide, but if something goes wrong and it happens anyway, I want to be able to defend myself somehow!" she said to him. He shook his head but went into a drawer, taking out some studs and arraying them in front of her.

"Then have these electroshock spikes for yer knuckles too." he said. "They produce a one hundred thousand volt shock, which will deplete yer energy reserves but should put an enemy down long enough to give you time to flee and give other attackers second thoughts about grabbin' yer themselves." he said.

Judy regarded the studs.

"I want some of those too!" she said. Ironhide tilted his head towards her.

"I figured that." he said. "That's why I got out two full sets - one set fer Mikaela, the other fer you." He moved over to check her arm and shoulder seams with gentle fingers.

"Yer should be able to handle an arm and shoulder cannon too, and a spike up yer other arm might serve as a nasty surprise too." he said. "As yer armor is thicker than Mikaela's, you could use it on the front line if needed."

Then he turned to Ron.

"I think cannons like mine would be a good idea for ya. That or a cannon like the Prime's. Yer big enough to carry it off."

This pleased Ron, who had started to feel inferior in the face of the femmes' fearsome array, and in the end he chose arm-mounted bazooka cannons like Ironhide's.

One by one, starting with Sam, and then moving on to Mikaela, Judy, and then Ron, he damped them down and installed the weaponry. Once he had finished up, he instructed them to re-scan their alts and then practice their weapons deployment.

"I'd like ter say I hope yer never have to use them, but knowing the 'cons that's a vain hope. If yer want to practice yer targeting skills, there's a holo-range further in, if you femmes want to practice slicing and thumpin' and stabbin, I'll put together some mobile dummies for yer to practice on."

Judy nodded as she regarded her new electro-studs with a glint in her optics. Ironhide noticed the look.

"I feel _sorry_ fer the first 'Con to cross yer with _that_ array." he said. "I'm glad yer on our side. I'll teach yer all some moves that might give yer a better chance of striking without gettin' hit yerself."

They walked back out, and re-scanned their alts (sam had to call Bumblebee) and then they went back inside, Sam picking up the other sparkling from Cliffjumper who still waited in the med-bay.

"Sam, Mikaela, Ron, Judy." Ratchet said. "Hopefully you are now getting used to the basics of what it is to be one of our kind. There is still much to learn, and although it may seem confusing at first, persevere." He smiled at them.

"After all, you have a whole lifetime -our species length of lifetime - to learn all about it, and time to get used to it all. With your human ability to learn quickly in the short span allotted to your original species, you should do fine."


	7. Chapter 7

The Autobots Witwicky.

Epilogue.

A/N: Not sure about how this has worked out, but here it is.

Two Hundred Years Later.

Sam stared at his father in a mixture of disbelief and mirth.

"You've got the hots for _who_?"

Things had changed much for the Witwickys in the last few decades or so, the most noticeable of these being the former humans' attitudes towards the Cybertronian version of sex, most notably the concept of having multiple partners. Sam and Mikaela had adapted swiftly, but with Ron and Judy it took somewhat longer.

Ron had been the biggest holdout on this and other issues, but Sam had expected that. Even Judy confided in Sam about eighty years into their new life, that she no longer found the concept abhorrent or 'wrong' but she never mentioned this to Ron, nor did she encourage any of the growing complement of mechs on the Base, their numbers mainly swollen by new arrivals.

She and her husband had not stayed idle during this time, for Sam now had six mech and eight femme siblings. Ron's dislike of the idea of 'sharing' Judy with anyone else had weakened steadily in this time, but it was a hundred years into their new arrival, with the arrival of six Autobot femmes, that this dislike faded almost totally.

Twenty years after the arrival of their most recent sparkling, (not a long time by Cybertronian standards) Ron and Judy had begun to fall into something of a routine that even they could see as the warning signs of a rut. The arrival of the six-strong team of Autobot femmes had piqued Ron's interest, although it had still taken fifteen years of encouragement and reassurance by Judy for Ron to actually approach one and ask to share a cube of energon, and another seven years of the same for Ron to finally put aside his monogamous beliefs and engage in interface with the lovely Firestar.

Once Ron had got used to the idea, it left Judy free to return Ironhide's flirting, but she was shocked when his reaction was to initially refuse.

"Yeh just a sparkling! It was just a bit of fun! I never expected yeh to _accept_!" he explained when she demanded an explanation.

"I am so not a sparkling, and as a Creator of nine, I think I have the right to decide when and with whom such a thing is appropriate!" she had responded, then processed to prove her point by grabbing Ironhide's face and kissing him passionately. Within four astroseconds he had stopped struggling, and in another two was returning the kiss.

Sam had thrown himself into his relationship with Bumblebee, Judy was making Ironhide one of the happiest mechs alive with the help of Ratchet and Chromia, and Mikaela was fairly on-off with all the mechs on the Base but seemed particularly fond of Cliffjumper. Ron had, in the end, eased into the idea of going with as many of the femmes as who wished to, but had never delved into the realms of mechsex.

At least not till _now_. It seemed that Ron had finally accepted that he might have feelings for one of the mechs on the Base.

Ron's response to Sam's astonished query was to look at the floor and trail his foot in the nonexistent dirt, a sign of embarrassment if Sam had ever seen one, and muttered "You heard me." Sam knew that if Ron were still capable of blushing, his face would be scarlet.

He wiped the amusement from both his faceplates and his vocal tone and sighed. This was going to be awkward. Trust his father to have fallen for the one mech in the Base Sam would have suggested his father talk with on this very matter.

"Look Dad, Optimus Prime may be the leader, but he's also

like the other mechs, I'm sure he'd understand if you just told him, you know?" Ron brought his head up.

"He's the _Prime_, the fragging _leader_ of this lot! I'm not going and _telling_ him!" he said. Sam sighed, he somehow _knew_ his Dad would react like that. Some human prejudices still lingered in Ron's processors. Being attracted to Optimus was one thing: _telling_ said mech was another thing entirely.

"Okay, then I can only suggest I tell him you're having thoughts about a mech – _without _telling him that he's the mech in question – and ask him to talk to you about it. Maybe he can put it in a way that will help you get your head around it, Dad, because I'm not sure _I_ can. I've not lived as a Cybertronian for long, only as long as you, but I didn't have quite the same reticence as you've got." Of course, Sam reflected, Ron hadn't had a watchful Cybertronian guardian with him, hadn't got used to the idea first that you could interact with a Cybertronian as a human before being able to interact as one mech to another.

Ron sighed. "Okay, I guess. As his father had headed off to get a cube of energon and shoot some pool in the rec-room (and likely lose) with one of the Twins, Sam headed off to Optimus' office.

Once he was bid to enter, and both he and the Prime had cubes of energon, Sam began to explain.

"Look, I'm here on behalf of my Dad." He said. "He's finally fallen for the charms of a mech, but his human upbringing about same-sex relationships is getting in the way of him asking the mech, which is what I suggested he do. I'm at a loss now what to do."

"Could you ask the mech on his behalf, and ask said mech to make the first move?" Optimus queried. Sam put his hands to his helm.

"That would likely cause more problems than it would potentially solve. Dad would back off so fast, likely for decades, and he'd lose any trust in me. I was wondering if you could talk to him about the mechsex issue, taking into account the human distaste for it, and maybe something you say might encourage him to do something about it in the end."

"Very well, Sam, I will do some research and do my best to help if I can. Can I ask who the mech is? I may be able to tell if they are a mech who can approach your father in a not-so-obvious manner."

"Not really, I'm sorry, I promised my dad that I'd only discuss the problem in outline." He said. He stood.

"Thanks, big guy, I appreciate this."

"You're welcome, Sam. As with anyone else on the base, my door is always open."

oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo oOo

Ron came into Optimus' office, after having received an invitation for a drink of energon and a chat with the Autobot leader. He sat, as Optimus fetched them both some energon, and them made small talk, asking how he was and after the health of the younglings he had helped spark.

Once he'd relaxed Ron a little with this, he gently broached the subject of feelings, moving on to talk about the Cybertronian view of Spark-merging, explaining that the main difference between mech and femme Sparks was the ability of a femme Spark to create an extra Spark after merging with another – which didn't have to be a mech – and the brightness and intensity of such a Spark.

"Although brightness is not always a reliable indicator." He explained. "I, I am told, have a Spark that is stronger and more bright than that of some femmes, but analysis of my Spark proved that I am one hundred per cent mech. Sometimes femme Sparks have been hidden in mech bodies, at least four times in our history we have had leaders who sought to purge our people of femmes, and rarely the opposite of mechs in femme bodies has been known." He said.

He continued to explain how the AllSpark's mech-femme disparity – typically two hundred or more mech sparks for every femme – was part of the reason mechs sought out other mechs, and that nobody here would think any less of him for realising that some of the Base mechs had highly attractive lines. It was at about this time that Optimus realised that Ron was paying more attention to his mouth than the words coming out of it.

As he continued to try and explain things to Ron, he noticed that Ron's body language was saying a lot more than the mech himself was, studying Ron closely as he continued to talk. Five minutes later, he had his suspicions, and shifted his own body language slightly, and watched the other mech's reactions to his stretching of his legs and shifting of his upper body. A few more minutes later, he had guessed just who it was that Ron was attracted to. Which gave Optimus no problems: he had now been admiring Ron's figure from afar for decades.

A quick scan of both the internet and the conversation with Sam told Optimus that the direct approach was most definitely a no-no. As he investigated further (all done without missing a word or giving Ron any clue that he was multitasking) he settled on what he termed the "friends first" approach. He would start spending time in the same places as Ron where he could. If it was just a passing crush, the fascination would still fade, if it was a genuine like, maybe the exposure would help him to pluck up the courage to ask, hint, or whatever. Optimus could start getting to know Ron just as a friend, which would give him plenty of exposure to Optimus and might help him see him as 'Optimus' more than 'the Prime.'

People tended to see him more as the latter and not enough as the former, so Optimus was hopeful that the invisible barrier of his title could be overcome just by talking to Ron - and Judy, who likely still saw him the same way. He had done much the same more times than he cared to remember with those under his command in his off-duty time, reminding them that 'the Prime', though to be obeyed as such in a battle or duty situation was still a mech, and as such still had needs, concerns, and emotions, much like any other mech.

Optimus managed to truncate his talk without appearing to do so, then suggested they visit the rec-room. Ron blinked and said "Okay, but you never go _in_ there! Well…not very often when I've been in there." he corrected. Optimus smiled slightly as he stood.

"As Ratchet continually complains," Optimus stated. "He thinks I should relax more, and as our usually mild-mannered medic has been getting more irascible about the issue recently, I think I should try to make the effort." This was not in itself a lie, but this approach tackled two problems rather than just the one. Optimus was behind Ron, so took the opportunity to give his shoulder a light friendly touch. "You know the way, let's go."

As Ron moved forwards, Optimus followed, mindful to keep his interaction with Ron to a friends-only basis, and wait for him to make any move to suggest he may want to take it further. Optimus wasn't sure how long this might take, but he was patient enough to wait as long as it took for Ron to give an indication either one way or the other.

If he chose not to go further, their friendship could stay as it was. If Ron chose to advance it, Optimus would be waiting for him.


End file.
